Loburn is a peaceful rural area nestled under the foothills, on the Rangiora to Oxford road via Glentui.

It lies near the junction of the Ashley and Okuku rivers in ‘Lifestyle block country.’ The area is favoured by low rainfall and a pleasant climate. In summer, roadside fruit stalls offer a range of fine produce from local orchards and gardens.

Visitors are welcome to stop at the spacious Loburn Domain for a picnic and sports activities. The facilities include tennis courts, a children’s playground and a large oval for cricket or rugby.

Take the road north to Whiterock and visit a factory shop selling natural dairy products. The specialties are fine cheeses and supreme flora yoghurt.

For outdoor adventurers, it is only a short run from Loburn to the Puketeraki Range via Glentui. Tramping tracks wind up into the high country above the Ashley River gorge, providing superb panoramas of the Southern Alps and the plains. The Wharfedale, Blowhard, Richardson and Wooded Gully tracks, give access to remote areas of pristine wilderness.

North Loburn is just minutes up the road from its sister settlement – a beautiful area cradled below the towering, craggy peaks of Mounts Grey, Karetu and Thomas.

This is true backcountry, with extraordinary views and landscape formations. It is a convenient starting point for trampers, hunters, mountain bikers and 4WD enthusiasts who wish to explore the Okuku Pass or Mt Thomas and the Ashley Forest. What is so remarkable is that all this wilderness is a mere 15 minutes from Christchurch.